It wasn't so much the noise of the van outside her new home that woke Piper as the loud barking that came almost immediately before a heavy hand began knocking on her door. She knew that bark.
With a huge smile beaming across her face, she scrambled from the bed, only just remembering to struggle into her robe before hammering down the stairs barefoot, almost too excited to even run straight. On the other side of the door, the barking had intensified, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the owner of that excitable gruff started howling unless he got to her soon.
Fumbling with the door, she finally managed to pull it open, and barely had time to notice the poor unfortunate man struggling on the other end of the leash before Loki, her Alaskan Malamute, knocked her on her backside with a joyful leap. Her arms went around the dog without a second thought for her bruised rear end, nor whether the fall had done any damage to the baby in her womb; she was just so pleased to have her pet back nearby once more.
"Here, miss, are you alright?" Concern filling his face, the man who had been struggling to keep Loki under control leaned in through the doorway, offering her a hand to help her up, which Piper took gratefully.
"Oh, I'm fine," she assured him, her smile undimmed by her fall. "He and I know each other very well indeed. Do you need me to sign for anything?"
The man chuckled, watching as she absently scratched the dog's ears. He'd never admit to it out loud, but he was very glad that Loki had shut up once the door was opened. God alone knew how the neighbours would have handled that racket for much longer, and delivering a rambunctious dog to a pregnant girl was not his idea of a good job.
"Nah, nothing needs signing for," he told her with a nod, bending down to retrieve the packages he had been forced to put down in order to keep the dog under control. "Got a load of stuff that goes with the dog in the van. Promised I'd see these into the hands of one Piper Davidson, though. That you, miss?"
"Oh ....yes, that's me," Piper nodded, utterly bemused by the pile of boxes that were laid in her arms. She recognised the handwriting on the labels, but couldn't for the life of her work out what her parents were sending packages for.
Loki, bereft of his mistress' affection for the time being, thumped himself down at her side, sniffing curiously at the gentle swell of her belly as if to say, "That wasn't there when you went away." The delivery man laughed at the expression on the Malamute's face, scratching his neck thoughtfully.
"Tell you what, miss, you settle yourself down, and I'll bring all this stuff in," he suggested, glancing at the evidence of her pregnancy. "Only heavy piece is the gate, so you just tell me where that goes, and I'll have everything in and be out of your hair in no time."
Charmed by the simplicity of the offered solution, Piper readily agreed, sternly telling Loki to stop jumping at the open door as she turned away. With permission, though, the dog soon set to exploring the little house with nose and eyes, thoroughly enjoying himself while she sat down on the sofa amid her packages, waiting patiently until all Loki's things had been brought in before turning to open them.
She went for the letter attached to her parents' offering first, tearing it open and finding, instead of a sheaf of paper, a single card. Her mouth dropped open. Of course ....it was her birthday!
Darling Piper,
So many happy returns today! Your father and I hope you are comfortable in your new place - we would have come to wish you Happy Birthday ourselves in person, but we thought it might be one surprise too many.
The wrapped present is from your father; Loki and all his bits and pieces are from me. I thought you'd get more from having your four-legged wonder around than any pretty piece I could have sent you. A few other people put their packages in with ours, I do hope you don't mind.
Have a lovely day, darling, and we will see you soon. Your ever loving,
Mum and Daddy
"Oh, Loki," Piper breathed as she lowered the card, biting her lip against the tears that were threatening to fall. "How could I forget my own birthday?"
The big dog looked up as she spoke, padding over to lay his head in her lap as she stroked his fur lovingly, leaning down to press her face against the warm softness for a long moment. She had missed him so much; it felt wonderful to have her Loki back with her again. Ollie might not appreciate it so much, though.
But ....presents! With all the enthusiasm of a child at Christmas, Piper attacked her packages, discovering little gifts from her friends and extended family. There was a plethora of jewellery - for some reason, her friends always seemed to think she needed more pretty things to wear - along with the usual array of socks and chocolates that always seemed to crop up when it came time for gift-giving.
Her father's present made her smile. He, above all people, knew how much she loved to read, and to her delight, she discovered that he had found her not one, but two new books to enjoy. One was a newly-printed copy of the distopian fable, The Handmaid's Tale; the other, no doubt chosen specifically because of her current situation, was Sepharieal's Book of Charms and Talismans. He always knew exactly what she wanted, almost before she did.
And to her surprise, there was a present from Harper in amongst all the others. She certainly hadn't expected that; her sister had been routinely forgetting birthdays since her wedding day. But this gift was special. Carefully wrapped in delicate silk, Piper's fingers found the soft wool of a very familiar set of blankets. White, pink, and blue ....the blankets that had been Harper's, and then hers, when they were babies.
It was a tradition in the Somerville line that all the baby things went to the eldest daughter, since she was expected to produce children first. Harper wasn't the kind of woman who did children, but she had fought for the right to have these blankets given to her on her wedding day, if only to make a point to her little sister about what her place was. And now ....
A little slip of paper fell from the soft wool as Piper lifted them out. She caught it before Loki could cover the ink in drool, letting the dog settle up beside her on the couh as she hungrily read what her sister had written.
Dear old Pip,
I thought you should have these; they always meant more to you than they ever did to me. I was an awful pig over them, I know. I'm sorry about it, too. Mummy told me what?s been happening to you, and where you are. I hope your Mr Granger is a good man - if he isn't, I'll box his ears for him, I swear it. Take care of yourself, darling, and please stay in touch.
Harper.
Slowly, Piper lowered the little note, cuddling the blankets to herself as she smiled through the threatened cloud of tears once again. Her arm curled about Loki's back as he snuffled at the wool, resting close against her with the air of a traveller returning home to his family. Despite the circumstances that had brought her here, despite the fact that she had even forgotten the day ....this birthday's surprises had been wonderful. ________________ http://img1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAABAoWY3BjdGhIQ0Z4Q0V0WW44VE41WmxwUQAAAAQuc2lnCgNqcGcAAAAELm91dAoWb09yWWZhMlQ0QkdKRzA3TWh5WFdjZwAAAAJpZAoIYzYwMHg2MDAAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg
With a huge smile beaming across her face, she scrambled from the bed, only just remembering to struggle into her robe before hammering down the stairs barefoot, almost too excited to even run straight. On the other side of the door, the barking had intensified, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the owner of that excitable gruff started howling unless he got to her soon.
Fumbling with the door, she finally managed to pull it open, and barely had time to notice the poor unfortunate man struggling on the other end of the leash before Loki, her Alaskan Malamute, knocked her on her backside with a joyful leap. Her arms went around the dog without a second thought for her bruised rear end, nor whether the fall had done any damage to the baby in her womb; she was just so pleased to have her pet back nearby once more.
"Here, miss, are you alright?" Concern filling his face, the man who had been struggling to keep Loki under control leaned in through the doorway, offering her a hand to help her up, which Piper took gratefully.
"Oh, I'm fine," she assured him, her smile undimmed by her fall. "He and I know each other very well indeed. Do you need me to sign for anything?"
The man chuckled, watching as she absently scratched the dog's ears. He'd never admit to it out loud, but he was very glad that Loki had shut up once the door was opened. God alone knew how the neighbours would have handled that racket for much longer, and delivering a rambunctious dog to a pregnant girl was not his idea of a good job.
"Nah, nothing needs signing for," he told her with a nod, bending down to retrieve the packages he had been forced to put down in order to keep the dog under control. "Got a load of stuff that goes with the dog in the van. Promised I'd see these into the hands of one Piper Davidson, though. That you, miss?"
"Oh ....yes, that's me," Piper nodded, utterly bemused by the pile of boxes that were laid in her arms. She recognised the handwriting on the labels, but couldn't for the life of her work out what her parents were sending packages for.
Loki, bereft of his mistress' affection for the time being, thumped himself down at her side, sniffing curiously at the gentle swell of her belly as if to say, "That wasn't there when you went away." The delivery man laughed at the expression on the Malamute's face, scratching his neck thoughtfully.
"Tell you what, miss, you settle yourself down, and I'll bring all this stuff in," he suggested, glancing at the evidence of her pregnancy. "Only heavy piece is the gate, so you just tell me where that goes, and I'll have everything in and be out of your hair in no time."
Charmed by the simplicity of the offered solution, Piper readily agreed, sternly telling Loki to stop jumping at the open door as she turned away. With permission, though, the dog soon set to exploring the little house with nose and eyes, thoroughly enjoying himself while she sat down on the sofa amid her packages, waiting patiently until all Loki's things had been brought in before turning to open them.
She went for the letter attached to her parents' offering first, tearing it open and finding, instead of a sheaf of paper, a single card. Her mouth dropped open. Of course ....it was her birthday!
Darling Piper,
So many happy returns today! Your father and I hope you are comfortable in your new place - we would have come to wish you Happy Birthday ourselves in person, but we thought it might be one surprise too many.
The wrapped present is from your father; Loki and all his bits and pieces are from me. I thought you'd get more from having your four-legged wonder around than any pretty piece I could have sent you. A few other people put their packages in with ours, I do hope you don't mind.
Have a lovely day, darling, and we will see you soon. Your ever loving,
Mum and Daddy
"Oh, Loki," Piper breathed as she lowered the card, biting her lip against the tears that were threatening to fall. "How could I forget my own birthday?"
The big dog looked up as she spoke, padding over to lay his head in her lap as she stroked his fur lovingly, leaning down to press her face against the warm softness for a long moment. She had missed him so much; it felt wonderful to have her Loki back with her again. Ollie might not appreciate it so much, though.
But ....presents! With all the enthusiasm of a child at Christmas, Piper attacked her packages, discovering little gifts from her friends and extended family. There was a plethora of jewellery - for some reason, her friends always seemed to think she needed more pretty things to wear - along with the usual array of socks and chocolates that always seemed to crop up when it came time for gift-giving.
Her father's present made her smile. He, above all people, knew how much she loved to read, and to her delight, she discovered that he had found her not one, but two new books to enjoy. One was a newly-printed copy of the distopian fable, The Handmaid's Tale; the other, no doubt chosen specifically because of her current situation, was Sepharieal's Book of Charms and Talismans. He always knew exactly what she wanted, almost before she did.
And to her surprise, there was a present from Harper in amongst all the others. She certainly hadn't expected that; her sister had been routinely forgetting birthdays since her wedding day. But this gift was special. Carefully wrapped in delicate silk, Piper's fingers found the soft wool of a very familiar set of blankets. White, pink, and blue ....the blankets that had been Harper's, and then hers, when they were babies.
It was a tradition in the Somerville line that all the baby things went to the eldest daughter, since she was expected to produce children first. Harper wasn't the kind of woman who did children, but she had fought for the right to have these blankets given to her on her wedding day, if only to make a point to her little sister about what her place was. And now ....
A little slip of paper fell from the soft wool as Piper lifted them out. She caught it before Loki could cover the ink in drool, letting the dog settle up beside her on the couh as she hungrily read what her sister had written.
Dear old Pip,
I thought you should have these; they always meant more to you than they ever did to me. I was an awful pig over them, I know. I'm sorry about it, too. Mummy told me what?s been happening to you, and where you are. I hope your Mr Granger is a good man - if he isn't, I'll box his ears for him, I swear it. Take care of yourself, darling, and please stay in touch.
Harper.
Slowly, Piper lowered the little note, cuddling the blankets to herself as she smiled through the threatened cloud of tears once again. Her arm curled about Loki's back as he snuffled at the wool, resting close against her with the air of a traveller returning home to his family. Despite the circumstances that had brought her here, despite the fact that she had even forgotten the day ....this birthday's surprises had been wonderful. ________________ http://img1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAABAoWY3BjdGhIQ0Z4Q0V0WW44VE41WmxwUQAAAAQuc2lnCgNqcGcAAAAELm91dAoWb09yWWZhMlQ0QkdKRzA3TWh5WFdjZwAAAAJpZAoIYzYwMHg2MDAAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg